VIDEO REVIEW: OSS 117 - Double Agent

i SPY EUROSPY: Upperseven, the Man to Kill

Upperseven, the Man to Kill
Director: Alberto De Martino
Year 1966
 
Upperseven, the Man to Kill is a highly enjoyable Eurospy film that features a secret agent with the talent to replicate the appearance of anyone on the planet through the use of his theatrical mask building skills. The movie is fun and wacky, and the premise of being able to pass as another person just by placing a piece of latex over your face, is astoundingly silly but absolutely entertaining in this unusually fun spy caper.
 
In the film, we follow super agent Paul Finney AKA Upperseven, on his latest mission to take down the diabolical Kobras who is up to some nefarious business. Upperseven, along with his array of masks, sets out to one beautiful location to another, in hopes of finally bringing down this mastermind once and for all. Along the way, Upperseven picks up a beautiful partner named Helen Farheit, who not only looks amazing but can dish out some serious punishment when put to the test. Can the two take down this mastermind or will they end up stiff and lifeless like one of Upperseven’s many hokey masks? Lets get down to the nitty gritty and see what makes this obscure Eurospy tick.

Paul Hubschmid plays the titular character of Upperseven, a man of many faces who’s as deadly as he is clever. Hubschmid does a fantastic job in bringing a serious tone to such an over the top concept as this film presents. He’s a bit cocky like most Eurospy heroes, but beyond that formulaic trait is a more somber and professional agent. He’s an efficient agent who just so happens to dabble in the absurd talents of mask making, for which he uses to great use throughout the film.
 
What is most interesting about his use of disguising himself with masks is that the opposition isn’t even sure on what he actually looks like. He is a world renowned agent but no one has the slightest idea of what his true identity is on the count of him always changing his persona and physical appearance. The idea is great and the execution is a little silly, but when viewed within the wild world of the Eurospy it makes perfect sense and is actually a whole lot of fun. It’s kind of funny to see Paul Hubschmid slap a lifeless mask on his face and then watch as the camera cuts away to another actor emerging from the makeup chair, looking entirely different but mask-less. Good stuff.
 
Another amusing aspect of Upperseven’s masks is the fact that the people that he is transforming into are completely and utterly ridiculous looking. One of the most asinine of them all has to be the mustache and goatee sporting ship captain, who Upperseven brilliantly decides to dress as when he is tailing a suspected member of Kobras’ crew. There is nothing that says inconspicuous more then a weird looking dude in a bright white suite and a captain’s hat. Ridiculous! This scene is so strange and outrageous that I couldn’t help but laugh a little over the absurdity of the situation. Oh Upperseven, I can’t stay mad at you.

When Upperseven isn’t crafting his ridiculous masks, he’s whining and dining some rather fabulous ladies. There’s an all too short cameo by the exotic Rosalba Neri as a villainous woman who tries to set up Upperseven, but is then violently slapped around for her troubles and then thrown out into the street to be used as human target practice. Hey, that’s no way to treat a national treasure! Still she looks ravishing during her short appearance and even gets a chance to sing Upperseven a little love song. How sweet.
 
Likewise, Vivi Bach plays Kobras’ main squeeze and in a strange moment of weakness, Upperseven decides to disguise himself as Kobras in order to get a little late night loving when infiltrating the mastermind’s underground lair. It seems silly for Upperseven to do this, when throughout the movie he was always diligent about completing his mission, but it was a fun little diversion and rather unexpectedly randy of him. Upperseven, you naughty little monkey you.
 
Finally we get to the cream of Upperseven’s female crop. Karin Dor plays the role of Helen Farheit, a fellow agent and partner to Upperseven. She has been in a number of films that I’ve seen, but for some reason I don’t remember any of her performances in them. In Upperseven, she does a tremendous job as the competent and capable agent Farheit who has an air of innocence to her yet able to hang with Upperseven through the worst of times. I absolutely loved her role in this film and I’m going to make it my personal duty to revisit those other movies to see if I just wasn’t ready at the time for an actress like her. Either way she is stellar in Upperseven and she looks absolutely stunning.

Upperseven, the Man to Kill is a pretty entertaining Eurospy that gives a little twist to the genre. There is plenty of globe trotting and memorable action scenes to fill up the screen time and the inclusion of Upperseven’s mask making abilities tips the scale in creativeness within these types of films. I enjoyed the wackiness of it all and really appreciated the trio of fabulously looking women that absolutely shine while on the screen. Karin Dor especially makes good use of her role, making me contemplate what other special roles I’ll come to find once I start digging through her filmography.
 
From start to finish, the film just entertains, giving us just one more reason to dig this crazy film category called Eurospy. I had a blast and I implore you to track down this rare spy flick as soon as possible. They really don’t make them like this anymore, so if you get the chance, watch it. This oddity doesn’t disappoint. Upperseven, the Man to Kill is without a doubt a…..

I'm Upperseven and apparently I'm the man to kill.

How about you put that guitar away and we get down to the sex?

Upperseven... another F on your report card? We've talked about this.

Take off that grumpy mask Upperseven. You've got a hot chick in your lap!

They're so..... so.... lifelike!

Someone help! I'm being followed by a weird CAPTAIN!

The Captain says, need a light?

Damn you Scuba Steve!

You going eat your lima beans or am I going to have to get rough?

You don't look so cool now shithead.

Well hello there beautiful!

I'll teach you to dress me in this space-age shit!

All's well that ends well.

i SPY EUROSPY: Super Seven Calling Cairo

Super Seven Calling Cairo
Director: Umberto Lenzi
Year 1965

Super Seven Calling Cairo is a pretty enjoyable Eurospy effort that has all the right ingredients in its formulaic recipe to make for a wonderful super spy viewing. Umberto Lenzi directs this entry and it’s equally as fun as his other efforts in the genre around this time. The film stacks up nicely when compared to his The Spy Who Loved Flowers and 008: Operation Exterminate, and the same globe trotting aspect of those productions is brought to great realization in Super Seven Calling Cairo.

The film follows agent Martin Stevens AKA Superseven as he is in hot pursuit of a camera that houses a new valuable metal. His hunt for the rare item takes him across the globe, while at the same time dealing him some rather close encounters with some very dangerous women. I expect nothing less from a good Eurospy. With an excellent cast and a plethora of beautiful locations, Super Seven Calling Cairo is a great example of a highly entertaining Eurospy that knows how to deliver the goods.

Roger Browne plays the role of Superseven, the agent that every woman figuratively loves to death and often literally tries to. Browne takes on the character with almost a regal sensibility, coming off more refined then the usual Eurospy secret agent. He’s probably the closest to the James Bond stereotype that any Eurospy has gotten too, at least from the films that I’ve seen, and he brings a tinge of respectability to his role. Poised with a square jaw and calm demeanor, his secret agent is craftier then most, never relying on wit or charm to get him out of sticky situations but rather his athletic ability and intellect.

The film also plays off of this more leveled and focused tone, by presenting Superseven with an interesting pairing of girls that both tug on the viewers expectations on which one of the women is the bad guy of the piece. Rosalba Neri, who has appeared in a few choice Eurospy films but is mostly known for her large cannon of horror movie appearances, plays the role of Faddja, a beautiful young woman who is forced to aid the opposition to Superseven. She looks absolutely stunning in this film and she provides a rather important role in the story that comes full circle in the closing moments of the movie. Opposite her is actress Fabienne Dali, who plays the role of Denise, a local Egyptian woman that accompanies Superseven on his mission to recover the sought after camera. Dali has the bigger of the two roles, traveling from exotic location to exotic location all by the side of Superseven, often getting tangled up in the danger and espionage. Lenzi does a tremendous job in interweaving these two women into the story, while never giving us a clear intention on either of their motives for wanting to be around Superseven. The ambiguity of their objectives is spectacularly done and the film is better for it.

Another aspect of the film that I really enjoyed was the inclusion of all the globetrotting. Like any good Eurospy movie, you have to have a ton of exotic places for your agent to randomly visit and in Super Seven Calling Cairo, there’s plenty of that. Agent Martin Stevens finds himself in Rome, Paris, Locarno, and London, especially spending a good deal of time in Cairo, hence the title of the film. The Egyptian exteriors are wonderful, giving a wide breadth of interesting locals that showcase many expansive shots of crowded marketplaces and monumental glimpses of the iconic pyramids. I also enjoyed the filmmaker’s choice of shooting on location in Locarno, Switzerland. The area is absolutely beautiful and the film explored its surrounding areas in a way I’ve never seen before in a Eurospy film.

What’s also great about all of this globe-trotting is that it never feels random. Superseven always has a legitimate reason for visiting these gorgeous places and you never get the feeling that they just shoe horned the story into forcing him to be there because of the filmmakers’ prior permission to visit the cities. There’s much about this film that seems to fit just right and Lenzi has done a wonderful job in making the movie logical while still setting it in that wacky mind set of a traditional Eurospy. This flick really is that enjoyable and fun.

Super Seven Calling Cairo is a well put together little Eurospy film that tries to keep the espionage respective, while at the same time delving in a few guilty pleasures that the genre has to offer. The location shoots are wonderfully captured and fully utilized within the context of the story, making for a spy film that is both visually sweeping as it is contextually interesting.
 
Roger Browne brings a thoughtful nature to Superseven, classing up the role of secret agent a bit while still giving him that ruthless cunning attitude that is sorely missed in many Eurospy films. Both Rosalba Neri and Fabienne Dali look stunning in their opposing roles and the fact that they both have so much to do in this movie is an added plus. For me, Eurospy films are a medium for us to be able to be transported to exotic locations while at the same time role playing as a secret agent that has the world by the horns. Super Seven Calling Cairo does exactly that and it does it in style. If you’re looking for a quick Eurospy fix then look no further then this Umberto Lenzi directed effort, because there is much to love here. The movie is just…….

The names Martin Stevens, but you can call me Superseven if you're nasty.

With a cold stare like that, how can she not be pure evil?

Clinky.

Woah! I'm freaking out!

Another F on your report card? Superseven I'm ashamed of you.

Here, let me kill you slowly. Say lung cancer.

The kiss of death.

Get your naked ass out here.

Rosalba Neri hates back seat drivers. Especially when their next to her.

How cute.

Take that you son of a bitch!

Did you take the last of the Oreo's?

Superseven day-dreaming about joining the Mile High Club.

The End.

i Spy Eurospy: OSS 117 Double Agent

OSS 117 Double Agent
Director: Andre Hunebelle
Year 1968

OSS 117 Double Agent is a film, like many Eurospy movies, of a thousand names. Also titled Murder For Sale, No Roses, and many other variations, Double Agent is a highly entertaining and worth while Eurospy that brings so many great aspects of the genre together that you really can't deny its overall entertainment value.

Double Agent tells the story of American Secret Service agent Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, aka OSS 117, as he attempts to infiltrate a terrorist organization run by a fashionably devoid, but highly brilliant mastermind, Il Maggiore. OSS 117 takes on the identity of a known criminal William Chandler, in hopes to gather information on the illusive organization, only to be trapped in a deadly game of trust by his new employers when he is sent to the Middle East to assassinate a peace negotiator. Can he survive in a high stakes game of treachery and treason? Can he thwart Maggiore's well laid out plans? And can he also do this while at the same time bedding a few beautiful women on the side? My instincts tell me yes.

Hold it right there buster!

EXTRA! EXTRA! Put some pants on!

OSS 117 Double Agent has one of the most impressive casts that I've come into contact with on my topsy turvy journey through Eurospy land. The caliber of spy actors among the ranks of this film are delightful and seeing each person come onto the screen, in very random moments, is a real treat for Eurospy fans. Some appear for only a few frames and others help carry the film along, but all help in creating a colorful film that screams to be watched, especially by spy enthusiasts.

One of the names that is not very known in the Eurospy world, just happens to be the man who plays the main character of OSS 117. John Gavin may be lacking the credibility to take on the role, but he ends up coming out of the ordeal as an accomplished veteran of the spy trade. I loved his portrayal of OSS 117 and felt that he brought just the right amount of charisma and playfulness to the role. His character appears to be living it up and loving every moment of it, even when he is fighting for his life. Gavin's juggling of both business and pleasure is also a hoot to watch play out. Much like his predecessor James Bond, Gavin's OSS 117 loves the ladies and doesn't mind rolling around in the hay on mission time. I felt that Gavin hit the perfect note of lightheartedness and significance, often recalling Sean Connery's performance as Bond, without delving into more camp material like Roger Moore. Unfortunately this is Gavin's only portrayal of OSS 117 and to my knowledge this is also his only foray in the Eurospy genre. It's sad, because I really got a kick out of his performance.

It seems that your nipple is in perfect working condition.

I don't know what I hate more. That tacky suit or that sweaty gorilla standing behind me.

Like all spy films of this era, the women are essential and let me tell you there are tons in this film. Not just in quantity though, but quality also. We have a fleeting appearance by one of Italy's most iconic actresses, Rosalba Neri. She plays a bit part early in the film where she comes to find that the man that she has just slept with is ruthless killer William Chandler, of course portrayed by OSS 117 on his undercover mission. She phones the police, ensuing a rather entertaining scene where 117 must fight off a group of police officers wearing only a newspaper and a few random objects. It's a great set piece and it's nice to see Rosalba even if it is just for a few precious moments.

Two of the meatier roles go to fellow spy vets, Luciana Paluzzi and Margaret Lee, with Lee coming out with the more substantial role. Both women are no strangers to the genre with Paluzzi taking on her iconic role in Thunderball alongside Sean Connery in 1965, to Lee's almost endless supply of Eurospy films. She seemed to be the go to girl at the time these films were most popular in Europe. Some of her credits include Agent 077 Fury in the Orient, New York Calling Super Dragon, Bang! Bang! You're Dead!, Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die, Dick Smart 2007, Spy Pit, and the list just goes on and on.

In Double Agent, Luciana Paluzzi plays the role of Maud, a physician who works for the terrorist organization that 117 is up against. She encounters agent OSS 117 and of course falls into bed with him. She has a few key roles and does splendidly with them for the short amount of time she's on screen, but boy does she eat up the scenery. She has the ability to draw your attention in and she does it in great abundance in this movie. Margaret Lee on the other hand plays the role of Aicha Melik, an innocent woman who ends up getting tangled in 117's life and mission only to fall head over heels for him. She actually has a lot of physical scenes in this film, lunging at armed assassins and getting tossed all over the place. I've always loved Margaret's performances in this genre and in Double Agent she doesn't disappoint. Like Paluzzi, she has a magnetic personality that was just made for film and in this one she shines.

Margaret Lee is unbeLEEvable! Yeah I said it.

What a nice Sunday drive.

Let's not forget the other side of the coin here, for where would we be without the villains? In Double Agent, we get a hefty portion of diabolical masterminds that all serve their individual purposes while at the same time, never really defining a clarity in the bad guy hierarchy chain. It really is a strange sort of set up, because the obvious main villain comes in the form of Il Maggoire, the leader of the assassin and terrorist outfit, but he really has little to no influence throughout the picture. He is more of a guide of sorts, pushing 117 on his way and never getting that confrontation moment that we are always treated to at the end of these spy opuses.

Instead we are given two underlings of the organization, that are given two separate roles in plaguing our main character. There is a Doctor named Saadi played by Robert Hossein and a brutish fellow named Karas played by George Eastman. Both men have a great deal to do in the film, helping to carry the extra weight that Maggoire's character neglects to share. Saadi has a particularly interesting role in poisoning OSS 117, keeping him on an invisible leash so to speak in order to get his daily dose of the antidote and to stay the poison in his bloodstream. Karas' character is a more physical beast, in which he relishes the brutality of inflicting pain. During the early portions of the film he plays a more passive role, but come the waning moments of the movie he becomes a raving lunatic lashing out at anything and anyone, most notably pour Margaret Lee. It seems to be a specialty of Eastman's because whenever I see him in a film, he is a raving mad lunatic. Take his roles in Antropophagus and Erotic Nights of the Living Dead, just to name a few. The guys a complete maniac! Luckily he was able to channel that same lunacy for his role as Karas, because he really does set the few ending moments of the film on fire with his energy and animalistic mystique.

That's the last time you open the window when the air conditioning is on.

Oh Margaret Lee.... you're just darling.

Though the overall plot of the film is a bit vague in its presentation, you really can't deny the energy and fun of the whole mission. John Gavin's playful nature as OSS 117, is infectious in my opinion and really helps to mold the film into a fun romp in espionage. Paired with the enjoyable and adorable acting chops of Margaret Lee and you've got yourself a winner.

The two have a great chemistry between each other and the relationship that they begin to build together is pleasant to see unfold. You really can't say the same thing for a majority of Eurospy films or even the originator of the genre, the James Bond films. The only thing that comes close in my memory would be George Lazenby and Diana Rigg's relationship in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Both films kind of lifted up the misogynist spy facade and took a broader scope at the main agent's relationships. While not as accomplished at said feat as On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Double Agent still has a twinkle of that unique magic in its workings. For being such an under-seen gem, I would say that's quite an accomplishment.

You better start talking lamp shade or the girl gets it!

A romantic helicopter ride for two.

OSS 117 Double Agent is a surprisingly enjoyable spy romp that has an elite cast of Eurospy veterans and genre pros to back it up. The overall story may be vague, but the impression that the film gives off is immensely addictive. I loved the carefree nature of John Gavin's 117 and the playful nature that he brought to the character. I felt it was perfectly balanced with the tone of the whole film and gelled well together with both the narrative and Margaret Lee's enrapturing presence. I highly recommend the film for anyone who loves the wild ride that Eurospy can provide and if you're new to the genre, give it a try. You might just end up becoming one of the converted. Double Agent is an extremely enjoyable addition to the OSS 117 spy series and one you should definitely check out.

5 out of 5 guns         A John Gavin & Margaret Lee Stunner!